‘True Blood,’ Season 4, Episode 8, ‘Spellbound’: TV Recap

Summoned by Antonia’s kill-every-vampire-within-a-nearby-radius spell, Jessica is about to walk into the sun and meet the true death. Luckily, Jason is nearby, having been alerted to the situation. He dashes through the doors and heroically (and somewhat hilariously due to the slow-motion) pins her to the ground. At first, Jess savagely flips him onto his back, ready to sink her fangs into his neck, but she realizes at the last second that he’s saved her life and is also pretty cute. She kisses him instead. Nice, True Blood writers! There’s nothing like a near-catastrophe to make two people who should have nothing to do with each other fall in love (See Ron and Hermione, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.”)

Bill, ever the practical king, asks Jason to overlook the fact that Jessica killed a human guard in her attempt to meet the sun. Jason agrees, in exchange for Bill’s silence about the guard Jason himself injured on his way in. In a sweet and funny bit, Jason tenderly tells Jessica to think about good things as he re-chains her with silver, like hot summer days and barbequing. We love when Jason tries to be a nice guy, no matter how misguided.

Meanwhile, Marcus the werewolf is trying to keep his hot-blooded pack out of the inevitable vampires vs. witches bloodbath. It might hurt the pack’s pride to admit that they would lose in such a battle, but Marcus is intent on “stay[ing] the f— out of it.” Not all wolves are on the same page, but it sounds like the first sensible plan someone’s had on this show for awhile.

Sam heads over to Luna’s to see if he can do some damage-control after Tommy’s episode. We’ll add the following to our list of Lines That Would Be Laugh-Out-Loud Absurd If Not For the Show’s Context: “I can forgive him for killing our folks, but I can’t forgive him for what he did to you.” Luna is smitten.

Back in Sookie’s underground lair, Sookie rips off Eric’s chains, a layer of skin clinging to them. After the horrible make-up jobs of previous seasons, we’ve got to give props to this year’s make-up team – all the blood and innards are impressive. Sookie offers herself to Eric as a blood donor and he feeds hungrily, proffering his own blood in return. The show has always portrayed feeding as an intensely sexual exchange, but the duo really hams it up for this one. Eric’s moaning in ecstasy? agony? and proclaiming “we will be one.” Sigh. He was so much better when he was imperious.

Jessica tells Hoyt that she’s not cut out for a relationship, causing him to dissolve into tears and say alarming things like, “If I can’t have you I don’t want to be alive. I’ll die without you, I will.” To which Jessica responds, “Then die!” and smashes his head in. She races to Jason, who’s sitting in his truck and is all too eager to experience the delights of a night with her. Thankfully, it’s a dream sequence and Hoyt is left unharmed. But when she actually does break up with him later in the show, Hoyt, far from crying for pity, is instead on the warpath. In a savage line about virgins not heard since “Clueless,” Hoyt tells her he deserves someone who’s not going to be a virgin for eternity. Way harsh, Hoyt.

Poor Andy. He’s called to investigate a seeming vampire suicide, i.e., the one vampire who walked into the sun at Antonia’s call, and is transfixed by the steaming remains on the ground. Cue Jason: “You would eat a pile of dead vampire Beulah Carter OFF THE GROUND?” Because eating off the ground is of course the most offensive part of that sentence. Andy, still struggling with his V addiction, tries to explain that he’s “only good on the V.” Someone get this guy to rehab.

Sookie and Eric spend the rest of the episode exploring each other’s bodies, bolstered by three seasons of pent-up demand and one hit of some extremely potent V. It starts snowing in the bathtub and a bed appears in a Narnian-like wood. Eric asks cloyingly, “can we make love in it?” Sookie replies, “Like we would ever stop.” It’s official: True Blood has crossed over into late-night Cinemax territory. One hint to the writers: no one in real life says “make love.” Let’s agree to an entertainment-wide moratorium on that phrase.

Antonia isn’t impressed that only one vampire died, though Tara seems to be. She seems to be heading on a Fellowship of the Sun trajectory, but given that she was held hostage by Franklin and almost made a vampire bride for eternity, we can sort of get where she’s coming from. Bill phones up and proposes a meeting. After some flattery, Antonia agrees.

At a more festive party across town, a fight breaks out between two werewolves and Alcide intervenes to hold one back. Impressed, Marcus tells him he’s got alpha in him and suggests a political position. Alcide is hesitant, but Debbie is excited about her man’s reception into the club. Intent on maintaining their positions in the pack, she warns him to stay away from Sookie, who always seems to be saddled with vampires. Right. As if Alcide will be able to stay away.

Tommy is back to his old ways and has stolen makeup and clothes to approximate Maxine Fortenberry. Draped in her skin, he meets with Paul McClatchy about selling her land. In a supreme comedic performance by Fortenberry, she orders two Miller tallboys with two shots of tequila and hot sauce. “Really?” Arlene asks. After some haggling, Tommy agrees to the total sum of $5,700 for the entire plot. In other words, he’s just sold off Fortenberry’s land and house without her knowledge. Joke’s on him, though: Forgetting the effects of skin-walking, Tommy falls to the ground, vomits and passes out in the woods after he gets his check.

Back to Loverville. Eric tells Sookie he’ll be this way forever and that “I don’t know I need to know who I am.” (Note: this sentence brought forth a loud burst of laughter from the reviewer). Is it us, or has Alexander Skarsgard’s acting gotten worse since he became so docile? Sookie persuades him to fight and the two join up with Bill to take on the witches.

In a truly creepy turn, the lady Arlene’s demon baby has been cooing at appears and disappears with a whoosh into Lafayette’s body. We appreciate the riff on “Heart and Souls” (that early 90s Robert Downey, Jr. vehicle), especially since the back story seems compelling. The woman had an affair with a married man, who then killed the baby they had together to prevent any complications. Acting as the spirit, Lafayette steals into Arlene’s house and grabs both demon-baby and ancient doll.

In a soap-opera like twist, Marcus turns out to be Luna’s possessive ex-husband. After dropping by unannounced to tuck their daughter Emma into bed, he immediately tries to assert his own alpha male-ness over Sam with his whispery menace. Sam doesn’t appear to be frightened just yet.

Proving that the show can still surprise, Jess visits Jason to fulfill the tryst that’s been hinted at over the past few episodes. No dice. Jason isn’t willing to do that to his “best friend since the first grade” and rescinds Jessica’s invitation. Then he does some push-ups because he’s Jason and has to get ready for his next shirtless scene.

Finally, the battle scene. Both Bill and Antonia have brought backup. After Antonia spurns his offer of a peaceful resolution, both supernatural sides let loose. It appears as though Pam will finally get to rip Tara’s head off but Bill forbids it. “You know why,” he tells Tara. Pam is not pleased: “this is so f—- lame.” Poor Pam, but those shots look like they’ve helped.

The battle isn’t as scary as the writers probably hoped, due to the 80s production quality, jerky camera movements and billowing fog.

While Antonia casts yet another spell on Eric, forcing him to kneel before her and retract his fangs, Sookie is shot in the stomach and slumps next to a gravestone. Bill can’t help her because he’s just been silvered. So it’s – you guessed it—Alcide to the rescue, with girlfriend Debbie watching from the sidelines. She does not look pleased, and it looks like Sookie’s picked up another enemy.

What did you think of tonight’s episode? Will Eric ever get his memory back and do you want him to? For readers who have read the books, are you pleased with how the show is turning out or are there plot points you’re missing? Leave your thoughts in the comments.